This was a crazy game in just about every way.
Special teams won the game for us. Dave Toub called a better game than Ron Turner has all year. His formation shfts led directly to Peanut Tillman's blocked field goal, and to Denver burning a 2nd half timeout on a punt play. Devin Hester continues to live up to Jeff Joniak's assessment of him ("Devin Hester, you are RIDICULOUS").
The offense did ok. I thought Benson was having his 2nd good game in a row, when his season was lost to injury. I don't care what Hub Arkush or any other mouth-breathing sports talk radio meathead thinks....Benson is BY FAR the best running back on this roster, and if they think Adrian Peterson taking over as the starter is going to help the running game, they've got another thing coming (cue Rob halford...)
The two bright spots for the offense were Rex Grossman (who played a solid game, held up well under pressure, and made some big passes with the game on the line) and John St. Clair. By entering the game in the 4th quarter and doing a very average job (no penalities, no sacks allowed, at least held his ground on run plays), St. Clair proved to be a huge upgrade over Fred Miller-thusela. Replacing Miller has got to be our top offensive priority this off-season, and replacing him in this game paid immediate dividends. While St. Clair is not the future of this position for the Bears, he is an average, journeyman/backup, and that's alot better than what Miller is right now.
As far as the defense goes, ugh. Wale is finally playing like he deserves that fat contract the Bears gave him. The rest of their D-line needs to get their act together, cause we're going to need more of a push up the middle, and some pressure from the other side, if we're really going to get in the head of an opposing quarterback. A home game this week against the Giants, with a young & fairly easily rattled Eli 'Muppet' Manning at the helm, would be the ideal opponent against whom we should bring pressure.
The LBs looked average. Urlacher played better than he has, so hopefully his back is improving incrementally.
As far as the secondary goes....man do I miss Mike Brown and Nate Vasher. Peanut is great, and D. Manning is playing solid ball, but Archuleta is absolutely terrible (replacing him also a top off-season priority) and there's a reason Ricky Manning plays the nickel, and not outside (doesn't have the pure speed to cover guys 50 yards downfield).
So here we are again, just 1 game out of a wild-card spot, 1 game below 500, with a big game looming. Last time we were in this spot we lost a tough road game against a well prepared, efficient Seattle team who showed up & played well. This time we're at home, against a Giants team who is wildly inconsistent, especially at the QB position. Our only chance is if the o-line plays their best game of the year (their pass rush is fierce and we have no running back) and if the d-line creates havoc (as Eli can be rattled, and our secondary is not playing very well).
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Monday, November 19, 2007
Game 10 - Bears vs. Seahawks
I am Mr. Mixed Emotions. The Bears lost a tough game in Seattle 30-23.
The hard part about this one is that they never really seemed out of it. They were close, even until the end.
The offense played pretty well on the road in front of a noisy crowd. Well, let's make an exception: Fred Miller. Other than him, they seemed to play well. I still can't understand why Benson went missing in this game. Keep giving him the ball when he's running like he did early on.
The defense didn't get the job done, but I didn't think they played terribly. Hasselbeck is a great quarterback and Seattle has excellent receivers. Holmgren, well, what can you say? This one hurts, because it showed that the Bears are close to being able to play good teams on the road - but the weak spot was the defense.
The hard part about this one is that they never really seemed out of it. They were close, even until the end.
The offense played pretty well on the road in front of a noisy crowd. Well, let's make an exception: Fred Miller. Other than him, they seemed to play well. I still can't understand why Benson went missing in this game. Keep giving him the ball when he's running like he did early on.
The defense didn't get the job done, but I didn't think they played terribly. Hasselbeck is a great quarterback and Seattle has excellent receivers. Holmgren, well, what can you say? This one hurts, because it showed that the Bears are close to being able to play good teams on the road - but the weak spot was the defense.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Winning Ugly
The most important thing for the Bears to do in Oakland was to win, and they accomplished that. I was disappointed in the offense and the special teams, but at the end of the day the only thing that mattered was a W to keep the playoff hope alive.
Oakland played a hell of a game on special teams...one of the few times in the past 3 years that we've truly been outplayed on special teams. My first reaction was to be surprised, since it rarely happens. That said, it's actually not a bad thing. Maybe some future opponents will look at the film & think "If a crappy team like Oakland can kick to Hester & contain him, why can't we?" That would be a great thing for the Bears. Hopefully, it will also serve as a wake up call to our speical teams that they aren't invincible, and they need to bring it every week to help win games.
The D played like it was 2006. They contained the run, conceded nothing through the air, harassed the quarterback, and caused 3 turnovers. We need them to play consistently at this level in order to win enough games to make the playoffs.
The offense still needs some work, but also showed some flashes. I think they gotta go back to Rex for the Seattle game. Griese is not gonna be 100%, and as it is he is making just as many mistakes as Rex. Rex can throw the deep ball, and we need that threat. At this point, we need to win the next 2 games at any cost, and I think the time for a conservative game manager at QB has passed...we need a guy who can WIN the game for us. While Grossman also has a better chance of losing the game than Griese does, he also has a better chance to win the game,a nd we nee that now. If he fails, slide him to #3, make Orton #1 the rest of the season, and keep Griese at #2 where he's best suited.
Somehow, someway, they gotta get the running game on track. Roberto Garza is a terrible guard, and Turner's run play calling is still terrible, and Benson is not creating anything on his own. Something has to give so this team can string together some wins.
Oakland played a hell of a game on special teams...one of the few times in the past 3 years that we've truly been outplayed on special teams. My first reaction was to be surprised, since it rarely happens. That said, it's actually not a bad thing. Maybe some future opponents will look at the film & think "If a crappy team like Oakland can kick to Hester & contain him, why can't we?" That would be a great thing for the Bears. Hopefully, it will also serve as a wake up call to our speical teams that they aren't invincible, and they need to bring it every week to help win games.
The D played like it was 2006. They contained the run, conceded nothing through the air, harassed the quarterback, and caused 3 turnovers. We need them to play consistently at this level in order to win enough games to make the playoffs.
The offense still needs some work, but also showed some flashes. I think they gotta go back to Rex for the Seattle game. Griese is not gonna be 100%, and as it is he is making just as many mistakes as Rex. Rex can throw the deep ball, and we need that threat. At this point, we need to win the next 2 games at any cost, and I think the time for a conservative game manager at QB has passed...we need a guy who can WIN the game for us. While Grossman also has a better chance of losing the game than Griese does, he also has a better chance to win the game,a nd we nee that now. If he fails, slide him to #3, make Orton #1 the rest of the season, and keep Griese at #2 where he's best suited.
Somehow, someway, they gotta get the running game on track. Roberto Garza is a terrible guard, and Turner's run play calling is still terrible, and Benson is not creating anything on his own. Something has to give so this team can string together some wins.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Mid-Season Reflections
It's been a surprisingly rough 8 weeks for Da Beloved, and there are changes to be made and work to be done if this team is going to return to its successful ways of the past 2 seasons. All of the assumptions and 'conventional wisdom' about this team coming into 2007 need to be discarded, and top to bottom this organization needs a cold, hard look to determine EXACTLY what is wrong, why its wrong, and how can it be fixed. I'm mainly looking ahead to the off-season here, cause wholesale changes are nearly impossible to pull off in the regular season.
I will start with special teams, simply because this is where the Bears are strongest & need the least work. Of the Bears 3 coorindators, Dave Toub has done the best job thus far in 2007. We have great specialists (Ayanbadejo, Hester, Mannelly, Gould, and Maynard) and Toub has done a good job keeping these guys sharp and keeping coverage & blocking units playing hard. We've done a good job blocking kicks and blocking for Hester. The one area where I would like to see some improvement is in the philosophy on countering these short kickoffs we are getting. Teams are kicking these short, high kicks to neutralize Hester, and its working. While the good field position is typically a gift for the offense, ours has failed to capitalize on most of these opportunities, and I think Toub should try & find some creative ways to make opponents pay on special teams for kicking away from Hester.
Offense is our area of greatest concern, and the biggest problem, by a mile, is the offensive line. Benson has received alot of criticism, some justified, but when I watch him play, he runs hard and hits the hold with authority when its there. The problem is, its rarely there. This o-line aged alot in the last offseason, and its showing. These guys are not getting off the snap quickly enough, and they aren't a strong enough unit to outmuscle the big tough D-tackles we've faced. This unit needs an overhaul, and this should be Jerry Angelo's top priority this off-season. John Tait and Olin Kreutz are the only starters who should be penciled in as starters for 2008. Ruben Brown and Fred Miller are just too old & slow to play at the level we need them to, and Roberto Garza is the definition of mediocre. We need at least 1 new, young, talent at both guard and tackle. I would like to see both a guard and tackle drafted on the first day, and a top-notch free agent brough in at 1 of the positions. The line we have now was built through free agency, but that can only work for so long. It's high time we start devoting valuable first day picks to bolstering this important area.
The receiver position also needs an overhaul. Davis stinks, Muhammad is overpaid & overrated, Bradley is a talent but is still unseasoned, Hester is raw, and Berrian is nothing more than an occasional deep threat who fits in well as a #2. We need a first day pick devoted to this position, but not a project like Bradley...someone who has proven in college that they can play the position at a consistently high level.
Tight ends I'm ok with. QBs...I think we stick with Griese, keep Orton, and draft a college QB in the middle rounds. Griese is the best veteran/journeyman you can find, and Orton has the talent to be a good starting QB a la Hasslebeck, Bulger, etc. As much as fans scream for a top flight #1 draft pick QB, until we get the running game & o-line straight, the best QB in the world isn't gonna win this team a Super Bowl. We would be best served allowing Griese to kep the position stable for the short term, try & develop Orton to take over, and draft a rookiw with potential to groom as the #3. This will not be the off-season to make a big splash in the QB market, so developing our own guys will be top priority.
Finally, onto the defense. I'll keep it simple here. We need Trumaine McBride to continue developing into a competent backup corner. We need Dusty D to stay healthy. We need Mike Brown to come back healthy, Kevin Payne to come back healthy, Archuleta cut, and a rookie to take his roster spot. We need our D ends to show up every week. And we need to re-sign Briggs. And leave D. Manning at free safety, where he has the talent to develop into a top 10 player at that position.
I will start with special teams, simply because this is where the Bears are strongest & need the least work. Of the Bears 3 coorindators, Dave Toub has done the best job thus far in 2007. We have great specialists (Ayanbadejo, Hester, Mannelly, Gould, and Maynard) and Toub has done a good job keeping these guys sharp and keeping coverage & blocking units playing hard. We've done a good job blocking kicks and blocking for Hester. The one area where I would like to see some improvement is in the philosophy on countering these short kickoffs we are getting. Teams are kicking these short, high kicks to neutralize Hester, and its working. While the good field position is typically a gift for the offense, ours has failed to capitalize on most of these opportunities, and I think Toub should try & find some creative ways to make opponents pay on special teams for kicking away from Hester.
Offense is our area of greatest concern, and the biggest problem, by a mile, is the offensive line. Benson has received alot of criticism, some justified, but when I watch him play, he runs hard and hits the hold with authority when its there. The problem is, its rarely there. This o-line aged alot in the last offseason, and its showing. These guys are not getting off the snap quickly enough, and they aren't a strong enough unit to outmuscle the big tough D-tackles we've faced. This unit needs an overhaul, and this should be Jerry Angelo's top priority this off-season. John Tait and Olin Kreutz are the only starters who should be penciled in as starters for 2008. Ruben Brown and Fred Miller are just too old & slow to play at the level we need them to, and Roberto Garza is the definition of mediocre. We need at least 1 new, young, talent at both guard and tackle. I would like to see both a guard and tackle drafted on the first day, and a top-notch free agent brough in at 1 of the positions. The line we have now was built through free agency, but that can only work for so long. It's high time we start devoting valuable first day picks to bolstering this important area.
The receiver position also needs an overhaul. Davis stinks, Muhammad is overpaid & overrated, Bradley is a talent but is still unseasoned, Hester is raw, and Berrian is nothing more than an occasional deep threat who fits in well as a #2. We need a first day pick devoted to this position, but not a project like Bradley...someone who has proven in college that they can play the position at a consistently high level.
Tight ends I'm ok with. QBs...I think we stick with Griese, keep Orton, and draft a college QB in the middle rounds. Griese is the best veteran/journeyman you can find, and Orton has the talent to be a good starting QB a la Hasslebeck, Bulger, etc. As much as fans scream for a top flight #1 draft pick QB, until we get the running game & o-line straight, the best QB in the world isn't gonna win this team a Super Bowl. We would be best served allowing Griese to kep the position stable for the short term, try & develop Orton to take over, and draft a rookiw with potential to groom as the #3. This will not be the off-season to make a big splash in the QB market, so developing our own guys will be top priority.
Finally, onto the defense. I'll keep it simple here. We need Trumaine McBride to continue developing into a competent backup corner. We need Dusty D to stay healthy. We need Mike Brown to come back healthy, Kevin Payne to come back healthy, Archuleta cut, and a rookie to take his roster spot. We need our D ends to show up every week. And we need to re-sign Briggs. And leave D. Manning at free safety, where he has the talent to develop into a top 10 player at that position.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Bears/Lions - Game 8
Time to start thinking about the Draft in April. The Bears find new and remarkable ways to lose, again to the Lions, 16-7.
I shared with a co-worker that the problem that the Bears have this year is noticeable, if hard to describe. Last year, you almost never saw confusion on offense, defense, or special teams. Guys believed in the system, took care of their responsibilities, and mistakes didn't happen - well, that's not exactly right, but certainly not as much as this year.
This year, confusion is King. It's everywhere, in all aspects of the game. This is an indictment of the coaching staff, primarily. Yes, there are new faces, some of whom I hope aren't around next year. Yes, players aren't making plays - the running game is pathetic, and the once-proud defense has entire games where it seems like they've forgotten how to tackle (yet, that's coaching too, isn't it?).
And the news about Urlacher is not good. It might have been Haugh in the Tribune who suggested the Bears invest in Briggs if Brian has a chronic problem. Never thought I'd hear that - or agree with it - even three months ago, but there it is.
We're in for a long second half.
I shared with a co-worker that the problem that the Bears have this year is noticeable, if hard to describe. Last year, you almost never saw confusion on offense, defense, or special teams. Guys believed in the system, took care of their responsibilities, and mistakes didn't happen - well, that's not exactly right, but certainly not as much as this year.
This year, confusion is King. It's everywhere, in all aspects of the game. This is an indictment of the coaching staff, primarily. Yes, there are new faces, some of whom I hope aren't around next year. Yes, players aren't making plays - the running game is pathetic, and the once-proud defense has entire games where it seems like they've forgotten how to tackle (yet, that's coaching too, isn't it?).
And the news about Urlacher is not good. It might have been Haugh in the Tribune who suggested the Bears invest in Briggs if Brian has a chronic problem. Never thought I'd hear that - or agree with it - even three months ago, but there it is.
We're in for a long second half.
Friday, October 26, 2007
This is it
I am not one for hyperbole & exaggeration, but I firmly believe that thus week's showdown against Detroit is the key game for our season. If we win, we have our first winning streak of the season, we even up our divisions record, we go into the bye with some momentum before coming out for a very winnable game at Oakland, and the ship will be moving in the right direction as we get our DTs healthier and Nate Vasher out on the field.
If we lose, we're 1-3 in our division, 3-5 heading into the bye and NEEDING 6-7 wins in our final 8 games to even have a chance at the playoffs.
That said, I am feeling good about our chances. Look at the last time we played Detroit:
-Most of our defense was out. This time Tillman is back, Briggs is back, our whole D-line & linebacking corps should be ready to go, Danieal Manning & Trumaine McBride seem to have found their bearings and are playing competent football.
-Kitna is still a statue, their o-line still stinks, and our d-line will have all its horses back. We should sack him, force him into bad throws, and cause at least 1 fumble.
-They aren't gonna get all the lucky breaks they got last time. Our defense was beaten half to death...Griese handed them a touchdown on his 1 interception...Griese threw 2 picks when we were in the red zone (which, at minimum, cost us 6 points)....they returned an onside kick for a TD...etc.
-They are a historically bad road team. In particular, running the Mike Martz offense on grass, they aren't gonna put up the big numbers like they're used to.
-Griese has found his groove and feeling comfortable playing in this offense. His play will be much improved comapred to that last game.
-In spite of all these crazy things, they beats us by 10 in their place, with 7 of thsoe coming on an onside kick return TD. The fact is we outplayed them most of that game, and every break went their way.
That won't happen again. We are healthy, we are at home, and this team knows it needs a win for survival. We've also improved since that last game. The crowd is gonna be intense (I'll be there contributing to that) and if the Bears can get points on the board early and force this team into passing 75% fo the time, we'll get some sacks & turnovers & could have a big win. I realize that is a best case scenario, and I think Detroit will keep it fairly close, but ultimately the Bears will win this game 31-20.
If we lose, we're 1-3 in our division, 3-5 heading into the bye and NEEDING 6-7 wins in our final 8 games to even have a chance at the playoffs.
That said, I am feeling good about our chances. Look at the last time we played Detroit:
-Most of our defense was out. This time Tillman is back, Briggs is back, our whole D-line & linebacking corps should be ready to go, Danieal Manning & Trumaine McBride seem to have found their bearings and are playing competent football.
-Kitna is still a statue, their o-line still stinks, and our d-line will have all its horses back. We should sack him, force him into bad throws, and cause at least 1 fumble.
-They aren't gonna get all the lucky breaks they got last time. Our defense was beaten half to death...Griese handed them a touchdown on his 1 interception...Griese threw 2 picks when we were in the red zone (which, at minimum, cost us 6 points)....they returned an onside kick for a TD...etc.
-They are a historically bad road team. In particular, running the Mike Martz offense on grass, they aren't gonna put up the big numbers like they're used to.
-Griese has found his groove and feeling comfortable playing in this offense. His play will be much improved comapred to that last game.
-In spite of all these crazy things, they beats us by 10 in their place, with 7 of thsoe coming on an onside kick return TD. The fact is we outplayed them most of that game, and every break went their way.
That won't happen again. We are healthy, we are at home, and this team knows it needs a win for survival. We've also improved since that last game. The crowd is gonna be intense (I'll be there contributing to that) and if the Bears can get points on the board early and force this team into passing 75% fo the time, we'll get some sacks & turnovers & could have a big win. I realize that is a best case scenario, and I think Detroit will keep it fairly close, but ultimately the Bears will win this game 31-20.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Bears/Eagles - Week 7
Some thoughts on the game...
Brian Griese drove this offense 97 yards in under 2 minutes with no timeouts for a game winning touchdown. This was the single most impressive drive I have ever seen from a Bears offense/quarterback.
While it is true the Bears stayed alive by winning this game, they absolutely MUST win next week at home against Detroit, and the game at Oakland following the bye, to have any chance at the playoffs. These are both very winnable games against flawed teams, and the Bears must take advantage of these 2 opportunities if they want to have a chance at making the playoffs.
The running game needs to improve in a hurry. In 7 games only once (W against the Chiefs) has our running game truly had a good game. As the weather cools, and defenses wear down from fatigue an injury, Turner/Benson/the line need to find a way to get AT LEAST 100 yards, preferably 120, per game. At some point we are going to need the running game to win, and while I think it's a little better now than it was early on, they need to start making big progress soon.
The D played well overall, although as usual they surrendered a score late. Don't get me wrong, holding an offense featuring Brian Westbrook, Donovan McNabb, a very good o-line, and Andy Reid's play-calling, to 16 points on the road in a tough stadium is impressive, but it would be nice to see them put a complete game together, get a couple turnovers, and hold a team to single digit points (hasn't happened yet this year).
It was nice to see them contain Westbrook. I do think Adrian Peterson's (of MN) game against us was more a fluke than anything else, but it was good to see them buckle down.
Hopefully they continue to round into form. Getting Darwin Waker & Nathan Vasher back will both be helpful, and hopefully the other guys will clean up their games so this D will be ready to climb into the top 10 in the 2nd half of the season.
I think guys like Adrian Peterson & Rashied Davis need to be confident in their kick return abilities. I have no problem with opposing kickers doing what Akers did yesterday, but our upbacks need to be able to turn those short kicks into AT WORST the 35 yard line for starting field position.
The main thing I took from this game is that our team showed character, backbone, and resolve, and this should be a confidence boost for them. They do need to be sure it isn't too much of a confidence boost & get overconfident (like they did after GB, only to be embarassed by MN the following week). I don't think that will happen this time. The defense seems to have gotten its attitude back, and if they can get healthy and get a few more sacks and/or turnovers against Detroit, I think they can get their swagger back & start playing like they did in 2006.
Brian Griese drove this offense 97 yards in under 2 minutes with no timeouts for a game winning touchdown. This was the single most impressive drive I have ever seen from a Bears offense/quarterback.
While it is true the Bears stayed alive by winning this game, they absolutely MUST win next week at home against Detroit, and the game at Oakland following the bye, to have any chance at the playoffs. These are both very winnable games against flawed teams, and the Bears must take advantage of these 2 opportunities if they want to have a chance at making the playoffs.
The running game needs to improve in a hurry. In 7 games only once (W against the Chiefs) has our running game truly had a good game. As the weather cools, and defenses wear down from fatigue an injury, Turner/Benson/the line need to find a way to get AT LEAST 100 yards, preferably 120, per game. At some point we are going to need the running game to win, and while I think it's a little better now than it was early on, they need to start making big progress soon.
The D played well overall, although as usual they surrendered a score late. Don't get me wrong, holding an offense featuring Brian Westbrook, Donovan McNabb, a very good o-line, and Andy Reid's play-calling, to 16 points on the road in a tough stadium is impressive, but it would be nice to see them put a complete game together, get a couple turnovers, and hold a team to single digit points (hasn't happened yet this year).
It was nice to see them contain Westbrook. I do think Adrian Peterson's (of MN) game against us was more a fluke than anything else, but it was good to see them buckle down.
Hopefully they continue to round into form. Getting Darwin Waker & Nathan Vasher back will both be helpful, and hopefully the other guys will clean up their games so this D will be ready to climb into the top 10 in the 2nd half of the season.
I think guys like Adrian Peterson & Rashied Davis need to be confident in their kick return abilities. I have no problem with opposing kickers doing what Akers did yesterday, but our upbacks need to be able to turn those short kicks into AT WORST the 35 yard line for starting field position.
The main thing I took from this game is that our team showed character, backbone, and resolve, and this should be a confidence boost for them. They do need to be sure it isn't too much of a confidence boost & get overconfident (like they did after GB, only to be embarassed by MN the following week). I don't think that will happen this time. The defense seems to have gotten its attitude back, and if they can get healthy and get a few more sacks and/or turnovers against Detroit, I think they can get their swagger back & start playing like they did in 2006.
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